Bond's Beginning
by Bobbin
Summary: Pre-Buu: How close are Gohan and Videl?


Disclaimer: Ahh... the wonderful world of DBZ- it's beyond me. Here's my humble offering to the shrine.  
  
  
  
  
  
Bond's Beginning:  
  
Gohan walked along the streets of the large city. Yeah, he wanted to go to school and meet new people, make his own friends, but did it have to be this city? The one named for that vain-glory bumbling buffoon? Oh, well, might as well make the best of it. He walked on trying not to be distracted from his route by the mass of humanity, the sights, smells, and noise ... of gunfire?  
  
* * *  
  
Videl was in a worse than normal state of temper. She was late to class all because of some stupid bank robbers only to find that some idiot had done her job of catching them. Then the new kid had shown up. She could almost have pitied him since he had obviously been given outdated information and was wearing an old school uniform that had gone out when SHE started school and hardly anyone wore anymore (being famous had some perks, after all). Almost, except for the fact that he seemed to be smarter than her, had given her a look of near disdain when Erasa introduced them and he was obviously hiding something!  
  
+ + +  
  
Oh man, he was sooo glad school was over for the day! He had such a headache. Gohan could understand some of Vegita's grumpiness now. All day long he'd been assaulted by the crowd of people around him; the noise and their speech which half seemed like another language, the body odors and the perfumes used to cover them, and just the general strain to not be different. He couldn't even eat more than a light snack for lunch! It hadn't worked. Already they were looking at him weird and calling him names like 'nerd' 'geek' and 'mountain boy', and that was just his supposed friends- Erasa, Sharpener and ... and Videl. Kami, how could she be that weakling's daughter?  
  
* * *  
  
Videl fumed, what kind of idiot did he take her for, anyway? That jerk, Saiyaman, thinks he can show up with a bucket on his head and fool her? She was a trained witness, for Pete's sake, it doesn't take that much to make an identification. It was Gohan: they were the same height, the same general build, had the same strong jaw and sensuous lips, um.. and the same bashful behavior. All she needed was some positive proof.  
  
+ + +  
  
Videl. He couldn't get her off his mind. Yeah, she was suspicious and all, after him and trying to find out his secrets. It was scary and exciting at the same time. Then, when he saw her fight those gangster goons today, he was glad Bulma had made the gi long and loose. The way that girl moved was.. well, a turn on. The power and the poetry! He just wished she wouldn't take so many chances, she wasn't bullet-proof and what would've happened if he hadn't been there?  
  
* * *  
  
Yes, she had him now! She caught Gohan with a cut on his cheek in the same identical spot that Saiyaman had one and got him to admit it. She had got him to agree to fight in the tournament. Why such a strong and cute guy would want to hide behind that ridiculous outfit was beyond her. But the best thing was, he was also going to teach her to fly!  
  
~~~~~~~~~ * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * ~~~~~~~~~~  
  
She could Fly! After only two days, Videl was soaring above the tree-tops. It was late afternoon and Gohan was flying beside her to make sure she got home okay. They didn't go too fast, enjoying the view below.  
  
"Why don't we land and rest a bit?" Gohan suggested before his friend truly felt the need to admit it.  
  
"Sure," Videl agreed. Beneath them was a glade covered with wild flowers along a small stream. She dropped down a little too quickly and Gohan caught her before she fell. "Gee, I'm still having problems with landing," she said, then she stood on tiptoe and kissed him, "Thank you."  
  
He received his first kiss with a blush, "Um, you're welcome," he replied and bent down to give his first, hesitant, light kiss. She received it and after a slight pause and a smile, returned it even stronger. They continued kissing for several mind-reeling minutes until they broke apart to catch their breaths, still in each other's arms. In the blue sky above then, fingers of cloud became edged with gold.  
  
"Are you really human, Gohan?" she asked idly, resting her head on his chest, hearing his heart beat very fast.  
  
He held still, "W. .Why do you ask?"  
  
"It seems so much like a dream. Are you one of the fairy folk, living in your cottage in the forest with your powers of strength and flight."  
  
He relaxed, resting his head on her hair, the newly cut ends tickling his cheek, "Someone's been getting too much into Shakespeare and Tennyson. Bite me."  
  
"Silly," she giggled, nuzzling his neck, *you mean pinch, but since you invited me,* She opened her mouth and bit down hard, just trying to make an impression. To her surprise the skin broke under her teeth. He groaned, but instead of pushing her away, his arms held her tighter and she licked at the wound to sooth it.  
  
His blood was slightly warmer than hers and had an oddly different taste. There wasn't much, only a few cc's, but it went to her head like wine, causing her to feel giddy. With a moan, she dropped her head back, letting his arms support her weight.  
  
Her bite hadn't hurt but he'd groaned in response to the deep feeling it caused, a feeling that had no definite name: desire, need, even love seemed inadequate. He opened his eyes to see her ivory neck exposed to him and following an instinctual urge, he bent his head and bit her back, his sharp canines piercing the soft flesh above her collar.  
  
The sweet smell of crushed grass and flowers surrounded them while overhead the colors of the sunset reflected the passion below, wheeling from golden amber to fiery red toning to violet and indigo.  
  
She woke in the star-lit darkness, her body chilled where it wasn't pressed up against the warmth of another. She thought of what had happened before she moved. Did she love him? No, not yet, at least not in the way that other girls talked about at school but he was special. Then why did she do it? Whatever had come over them, he hadn't forced her. She could have refused and nothing would have happened she was sure, but she had followed her urges and it felt so right. Regrets? Well, she could cross out STD's, it so obviously had been the first time for either of them- awkward and sweet. As for the other biggie, she'd worry about that later. She sighed and reached for her T-shirt, the nearest piece of clothing she could find in the dark.  
  
Her movement woke him up. He opened his eyes to see her standing, pulling her shirt down. It covered her like a short dress but he could still see a dark smear on the inside of her thigh and he remembered. "I.. I'm sorry, I didn't mean.." he stammered apologetically, reaching towards her on his knees.  
  
She speared him with one of her glares, "Sorry? For what happened or because it was me? Do you love me?"  
  
"No...I don't know, or why... I meant, I didn't mean to hurt you" he jumbled in his usual Gohan-eske.  
  
She rolled her eyes in exasperation, would he ever learn to talk straight?  
  
He looked down, crumpling something dark- his shirt? her shorts? it didn't matter- in his lap. "I don't know if I love you, Videl," he said softly, "I don't know enough about it. I... I just know I need you." He gulped then rose entreating eyes to short-gowned angel before him, "There is so much you don't know about me. My life has been more nightmare than dream. Please don't leave me, Videl. I think I would die if you didn't want to see me again."  
  
She looked down at him kneeling before her, a living statue of a martyr, a dark cloth draped across his loins. His naked flesh glowed like pale marble, traced with silver seams of old scars. His eyes were filled with need and pain, drawing her into their inky depths. That endearing stray raven lock fell across his face like a crack on a china doll.  
  
Broken. That's how he was, and it had happened years before when he was just a child. She knew, but how she didn't know. She leaned down and touched a jagged line on his abdomen. *Seppuku?* "When?" she whispered.  
  
"Twelve," he flinched and answered hoarsely, "I was twelve. They let it scar so that I would remember the pain to myself and others."  
  
*They let it scar? They who?*, she wondered to herself, *School-boy Gohan is just as much a mask to this self as Saiyaman.* She brushed the hair away from his forehead and kissed it, "I won't leave you, Gohan."  
  
In silence, they gathered their clothing and dressed. Then they flew on to Satan City, the quiet getting more uncomfortable the closer they got to her home. They landed unseen in the spacious garden. As he turned to leave, she stopped him, "Gohan, wait. Let's start over."  
  
"Start over?" he questioned tiredly, "How? From where? We just can't go back to the beginning after today."  
  
"From today, from this." She gave him a copy of her first light kiss and smiled shyly.  
  
He stood, stunned, then he smiled shyly back with a blush on his cheeks, "Okay."  
  
* * *  
  
In the following weeks they kept their attraction hidden to let it grow out of the limelight. True, they didn't have a lot of time alone, although there were a few times they rushed into class late, red-faced and without a valid excuse. They spent most of their time out of school training. By unspoken agreement, they wanted to prove themselves to each other before letting their feelings be known.  
  
On the day of the tournament, she had to hide her smile every time Gohan would protest to his friends and family that she wasn't his girlfriend. The others were so busy laughing at his discomfort, they didn't notice he didn't protest when Vegeta called her the boy's mate. Gohan had just glared in response.  
  
He discovered how he felt about her during her fight with Spopovich. Watching that *beast* fight- no- torture the girl, he felt anger, pain and despair enough to give up his identity to rescue her.  
  
When a Saiyan recovers from being seriously wounded, they double their strength. When Gohan gave Videl the senzu, he felt the flare of a before- unknown spark of ki. He looked at the recovering young woman in wonder and gave her a tender kiss, softly saying out loud the way he felt inside, "I love you."  
  
  
  
AN: I hope you have enjoyed this. This is a one shot but it is also most of chapter 22 of my story 'The Last of the Saiyans'. Check it out. 


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